YOUNG people today face a tougher upbringing than previous generations, yet are often dismissed as the ‘snowflake generation’ by adults who fail to recognise the pressures they are growing up with.
Child phychologist Professor Peter Fonagy, who chaired the Independent Review into Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism said young people were dealing with financial insecurity, unaffordable housing, uncertain employment and relentless social comparisons, while having fewer opportunities and support networks to fall back on.
“The snowflake generation is an insult to young people,” he told the Commons Health and Social Care Committee.
He argued that blaming young people for being unable to cope was easier than acknowledging how society had made their lives more difficult. Unlike previous generations, many young people now believe they will have fewer opportunities than their parents.
Growing up with less support
Fonagy also highlighted the impact of shrinking youth services, noting a 73 per cent reduction in local authority-funded youth services since 2011.
Social media was another concern, particularly when it disrupts sleep and replaces face-to-face interaction with friends. He warned that both could reduce young people's capacity to manage everyday pressures.
He also criticised adults' own phone habits, saying children learn by observing the people around them. Parents who frequently use their phones during meals or family time may unintentionally model the same behaviour they want their children to avoid.
Rather than placing all the responsibility on young people, he urged adults to reflect on their own habits and offer more encouragement.
“I think we need to be less spiteful and less depriving in our approach to young people, and far more encouraging,” he said.
Concerns over ADHD and autism diagnoses
His comments came after the publication of his independent review, which warned that Britain risks harming children through the overdiagnosis of ADHD and autism.
The review raised concerns about inconsistent assessments, particularly among private providers, and the influence of social media content that can wrongly present common traits as signs of a condition.
It also cautioned that misdiagnosis and overdiagnosis can lead to inappropriate treatment, delay support for other difficulties and limit expectations of what children can achieve.
Fonagy stressed that today's young people are facing pressures that deserve to be taken seriously, rather than dismissed as a lack of resilience.
In his report, he wrote: “Young people today are contending with more powerful forces than I ever faced. They are not fragile. They are outnumbered.” - POP FAMILY